Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Our prayers of adoration and confession were framed the refrain ‘Come Emmanuel.’

Come, come Emmanuel.
Come, Emmanuel.

God with us
You journey with the shepherds, and with Mary and Joseph,
You travel with John the Baptist as he grows to proclaim Jesus ‘Son of God’,
You come to us.

Prince of Peace,
You show us how to live,
Honouring the unseen, turning the other cheek,
Including everyone in your family.

Life Giving Spirit,
You come among us as a child, vulnerable and fragile,
Challenging our ideas of who is important,
Offering hope and joy.

Come, come Emmanuel.
Come, Emmanuel.

God with us
We confess that we do not always stand with the outsider,
And embrace the people society shuns or overlooks.

Prince of Peace
We confess there are times when we do not live in a way that promotes peace,
When we take what we can, when we exclude people and set boundaries.

Life Giving Spirit
We confess we do not always value the vulnerable,
We do not respect the fragile earth,
And we do not see the possibilities for new ways of life that are before us.

Come, come Emmanuel.
Come, Emmanuel.

Christ is born!
The Lamb of God who takes away for the sin of the world is with us.
And so we can say with confidence:
Our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship, Christmas Day 2018

Prayers of the people

In this day of rejoicing and wonder, we pause to look out to the pockets of world where there is little joy or celebration, pockets of darkness still desperate for the light to shine.

This includes, as part of our commitment to the Christmas Bowl appeal, the Rohinga people of Myanmar who have been force to feel persecution in their homeland and to find refuge in Bangladesh.

Let us pray:

God of love, shine your light on the pockets of darkness spread over this world; places whose horror is so great we easily avoid them.

God of peace shine your light on the war torn Middle East, stir the hearts of the heartless that they turn from their violent ways.

God of mercy shine your light on the first peoples of this land, move our hands and feet that we may embrace the task of reconciliation.

God of compassion, shine your light on the Rohinga people of Myanmar, raise up leaders who can protect, encourage and renew them.

God of hope, shine your light on the people of West Java traumatised by another tsunami and who in anger and despair ask, ‘Why?’

God of grace, shine your light on our local communities where pockets of darkness are often obscured by indifference and neglect. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our lives to act.

God of community shine your light into our hearts and minds that we may include all who are excluded by our actions and attitudes.

And we pray that the light would shine, and, that your kingdom we come, and we draw these prayers together in the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Geoff Thompson, offered for worship, Christmas Day 2018